Drinking Game
by only-mj
Summary: Seto wasn't looking for a drinking buddy. Téa wasn't asking permission. Platonic/Friendship Fic.


He wasn't looking for company when the young woman sat down beside him at the hotel bar. He ignored her and continued working on his scotch, hoping she was just there to order drinks for herself and the rest of the geek-squad before she would be on her way.

The bartender handed the woman her drink and when she did not leave, he let out a sigh. He could feel her staring into him, as though she was waiting for him to acknowledge her. He half-wondered what he had done this time to piss her off, not that he really cared. "I'm not in the mood…" Seto muttered bluntly, focusing on the ice in his glass instead of her.

"Are you having a good time at the tournament so far?" Téa asked kindly, trying to make small talk with him as she took a sip of her fruity drink.

" _Oh my god…"_ Seto rolled his eyes. "What do you want?" He demanded, taking another drink. "I'm not going to join you and your friends for a drink. I'm not going to engage in small talk with you. If you have nothing profound to say, let me finish my drink in peace." He glanced over at her for a moment, not surprised that she hadn't moved.

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the bar. She was quiet for a moment, as though thinking of her next move. Téa nodded to herself smally, taking another sip of her drink before finally speaking again. "Okay. I'm going to say something. And it's probably none of my business, but—"

"But that's never stopped you before…" Seto muttered, finishing her sentence as his patience grew thin.

Téa gave him a cross look, not appreciating being cut off. "You drink a lot." She stated, bluntly.

Seto tensed momentarily, not expecting that to come from her. He paused, taking deep breath before he would dare reply. "You're right. That is none of your business." He concluded his statement by finishing off his glass and setting it on the bar definitely.

"I'm serious…" She continued, not surprised by his response. "You've been down here every night since the tournament started. We're… kinda worried about you. Are you okay?"

"I don't remember asking you to keep tabs on me. And it obviously hasn't effected my performance in the tournament. So what do you dorks care?" He deadpanned, motioning to the bartender for another drink.

Téa held her hand out, stopping the bartender. "He's done. Actually. Thank you, though." She uttered, giving the man on the other side of the counter a sweet smile.

"I don't want to have a problem with you, Téa…" Seto warned, giving her a serious look as he let the bartender walk away.

The woman was not intimidated by CEO, and unfortunately they both knew this. She carefully took a drink as she watched him carefully. "We're not worried about your dueling performance. We're worried about you as a person. We're your friends—"

"Don't." He cut her off, wishing that he had another drink.

She stopped briefly. Téa could tell there was something off about the man. She truly hoped he was alright, but she truly did not know enough about Kaiba's personal life to know if this was normal for him or not. "Does your brother know you're down here?"

The duelist pinched the bridge of his nose. _"Really… She's going there?"_ He sighed. "There's a reason why I'm down here and not drinking up in my room…" He finally muttered.

This statement surprised Téa. She wondered how many drinks it took to get him to be that honest with her. She pushed her half-drank glass away from her, suddenly not up for drinking. The two sat in silence for a moment. Other duelists and those in town to watch the tournament laughed and joked around them, oblivious to the serious tone that fell between them. "I know that we're not your favorite people." Téa finally said, surprising Seto as he was hoping she had left. "And, that's fine, you don't have to like us. But I think it's really shitty that you would rather sit alone in a hotel bar and drink away whatever's bothering you and worry your little brother instead of reaching out to people who have offered you help on multiple occasions. It's freaking us all out because you're the kind of person who faces his challenges head on and suddenly you're not doing that. So I'm going to ask you again. Are you okay?"

He turned away from her. _"Who the fuck does she think she is?"_ Seto asked himself, growing angry at the girl's prying. It's not any of her business, and she had no right to talk to him that way. Still, he hated to admit that she had a point. He was not handling things and it was shaking his confidence and he hated it. He hated himself for acting this way, but for the first time in his life he had no idea what to do. He had never been one to talk about and deal with his 'feelings'. It seemed to be catching up with him. He pinched the bridge of his nose once more, squeezing his eyes shut. _"Dammit…"_ She had him cornered, and there was no where for him to go that would not make him feel worse. He sighed. "Finish your drink." He muttered.

"What?" She gave him an incredulous look as he called the bartender back over. "Wait—"

"I will not be repeating myself, Téa." Seto stated seriously, taking a quick drink of his new scotch. She eyed him warily, taking her drink back into her hand. "If you want to stay, be my guest, but I'm not doing this without a drink in my hand…" He admitted, dropping his voice low. She fell silent, offering him a small smile to encourage him to continue.


End file.
